James Nachtwey: Five Questions
What were the circumstances affecting the people in the picture you donated to the “A Day in the Life of Africa” book?
The sad postscript to the triumph of the people in South Africa was the onset of the AIDS epidemic. It is a plague of biblical proportions, but it is happening in private, behind closed doors. The picture in the book shows a young girl taking care of her infected mother. The front line troops in this battle are family members and neighbors.
“Digital photography is a communal process. No one knows everything, and everyone knows something a bit different.”
How did you begin with digital photography? Was it a difficult transition for you?
I shot my first digital pictures last year in Afghanistan. I work for Time Magazine, and there was no other way to make deadlines other than shooting digitally and transmitting by satellite phone. Afghanistan was the first large-scale digital story. It was an odd combination of medieval living conditions and cutting-edge technology. I learned on the job, sink or swim.
My good friend and colleague John Stanmeyer was my drill instructor. He was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge and patience. Jerome Delay and David Guttenfelder of Associated Press also deserve my gratitude for all their help. Digital photography is a communal process. No one knows everything, and everyone knows something a bit different. We are all teaching each other as we go along. For me, it was not easy, but I’m now a fully re-booted electronic photographer — if necessary.
How has digital photography changed your process?
I still much prefer to have my originals on film. It’s a matter of quality, but also a better way for me to edit and eventually store my images. However, even though I like to shoot film whenever possible, my pictures now always become digitized through scanning. I use the computer to scan, tone and transmit every bit as much as I would if I was shooting my originals on a flashcard.
The working procedures of our agency, VII, are based on decentralized production. Each photographer independently produces their own scans, tones them and transmits them to the agency. Having our filing cabinets in cyberspace saves us a lot on rent and staff and keeps our operation lean and affordable. Computers come into play every bit as much, even though most of our pictures originate on film. In the field I carry a PowerBook G4, and in my studio I use a dual processor Power Mac G4 and an Epson 2200 printer.
Is a good photojournalist now a good digital photojournalist?
I can only speak for myself, but documentary photography and photojournalism are based on perception, not on technology. It doesn’t matter to me if my pictures are shot on film or digital. Photographs are a product of heart and mind and the ability to connect. But technology is absolutely essential as a delivery system, and in journalism the delivery is vital. From a strictly job-oriented, professional standpoint, it’s critical to be able to deliver on digital technology. The qualities that make a good journalist, however, have not been programmed.
